Music Therapy and the Treatment of Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has increased in recent years, calling
for professionals to develop more effective therapies for treatment. Music therapists have
been working with children with autism since the 1940s (Reschke-Hernández, 2011) and
design music interventions to meet specific non-musical needs for their clients (American
Music Therapy Association, 2015b). The purpose of this paper is to describe the characteristics
of ASD, define music therapy, and outline how music therapy can address the needs of
children with ASD.